Cristiano Ronaldo among 15 Manchester United players who could leave in mass exodus: Reports

According to the Mirror, Cristiano Ronaldo is one of 15 Manchester United players who might leave in the current transfer window.

The Portuguese legend has been involved in a drawn-out transfer saga in recent weeks. Ronaldo wants to leave the club but has till date failed to find a Champions League-qualified club willing to take him on board.

The 37-year-old is the only Manchester United player who has not joined the pre-season tour and has cited “family reasons.”

Multiple stars have already been confirmed to be leaving, or have already left, in the current window. This includes Nemanja Matic, Juan Mata, Jesse Lingard, and Paul Pogba. Andreas Pereira has also left for Fulham while Dean Henderson has joined Nottingham Forest on loan. Lee Grant has also taken up a coaching role at Ipswich Town.

Additionally, two under-23 players, Shola Shoretire and Alvaro Fernandez, have attracted loan interest from Championship sides. They might end up leaving the club.

Apart from the above, three seniors in the form of Phil Jones, Eric Bailly, and Aaron Wan-Bissaka are also not first team regulars and the club is open to offers. Left-back Brandon Williams returned from loan with Norwich City but the arrival of Tyrell Malacia means he may head out again.

Several other youngsters might also end up leaving on loan in the coming days. This includes Teden Mengi, Tahith Chong, Ethan Laird, Nathan Bishop, Matej Kovar, and Will Fish. The futures of young forwards Amad Diallo and Facundo Pellistri are clouded in speculation as well. The players do not feature heavily in Erik ten Hag’s first team plans for next season.

---

Cristiano Ronaldo’s exit might result in extra signings for Manchester United

Erik ten Hag has claimed multiple times that the five-time Ballon d’Or winner is in his plans for next season. Cristiano Ronaldo wants to play in the Champions League next season, which is understood to be the major reason why he wants to leave.

The Portuguese scored 24 goals for Manchester United last season and seemingly still has a couple of years left in his tank.

In his absence, the team will be short of goalscorers. Mason Greenwood is unlikely to return for the Red Devils, while Marcus Rashford’s form had been poor throughout the last season.

The same is true for Anthony Martial. The Frenchman may have started off under Ten Hag very brightly, but the manager might be reluctant to start the season without signing more attackers.

One of United's top targets is Ajax's Antony, although the Brazilian winger has recently attracted interest from Liverpool as well (as per TeamTalk). Manchester United have moved quickly in recent days to confirm a couple of important signings. Lisandro Martinez and Christian Eriksen have been officially announced by the club.

However, they are still some way away from competing for trophies, at least on paper. They will need a few more recruits to complete the team.